7 Days To Go - Counting Down To The London Marathon

It may not feel like a year since the last ever Flora London Marathon ran through our streets, however, it must be - for this coming Sunday the Virgin London Marathon will take over the capital.

The course remains the same, so the best places to view will be around Bermondsey (but away from the Tube station); around the Isle of Dogs (again away from Canary Wharf Tube) or if you don't mind some crowdage then around Limehouse is good as you can catch 2 laps of the course. The masses start from Greenwich at 9.45am.

So what's different? Branding-wise, Flora's 'Lib Dem' yellow will be gone and replaced by Virgin's 'Hooker' red. We're also promised that a bouncy Richard Branson is running - we want El Bearded One to run the full distance, though, not just a few feet for the paps. Anyway, they'll need him if the volcanic ash keeps many of the top runners away.

So what don't you know about the marathon? Here are a few random facts, they may help at a pub quiz one day or perhaps if you want to impress your friends. See you on the course!